Tony visits Irish avenues and alleyways
HE’S known for huge hits like Is This The Way To Amarillo, Avenues and Alleyways and Walk Like A Panther. And the legendary Tony Christie is on his way back to Ireland for a tour which is a precursor to his new album We Still Shine. Tony will play Cork Opera House on January 25, The Helix in Dublin on January 26 and the Ulster Hall in Belfast on January 27 ahead of the album’s release February 13.
And this is all the more remarkable given Tony’s recent diagnosis with dementia. The singer is determined to show others that living with dementia doesn’t have to mean an end to creativity and exploration. With medication Tony Christie has continued to lead a normal life and continues to do what he loves most: — tour and make music.
Tony was diagnosed with dementia at the beginning of 2022 and he says one of the first signs he experienced was the fact taht he was struggling to do his usual crosswords.
But he insists that being diagnosed and getting the right treatment has helped him be able to live his life as he normally does.
‘I’ve not had any changes in my singing, my voice is still the same as it was. The only change I’ve made in my performances is that I now have an auto queue available as a backup, just in case I need a reminder,’ he says.
And the new album is a testament to that as We Still Shine sees sees Tony going back to his country roots and was recorded in the American country capital of Nashville.
‘I loved every minute of making this record. It’s the first time my wife Sue had joined me on a recording trip to Nashville,’ says Tony.
‘My son rented a house that was literally a two minute walk across the road to Blackbird recording studios where we spent three weeks making what I believe to be the best album I’ve ever made, and I really mean it. I’ve just come back from Abbey Road Studios where the album has been mastered and it’s the first time I got to hear the album in its entirety and in sequence. I was so blown away by the sound, it brought me to tears. This album is very special to me and has been in the planning for a good few years.
‘Together with my son Sean and my producer Graeme Pleeth we have been backwards and forward to Nashville collating songs and demoing them until we were finally happy we had it just right.
‘We worked with the cream of Nashville’s studio musicians and engineers in what is arguably the best recording studio in the world and what I love most about this album is we recorded the band in one room.
WE would listen to the take and if everyone was happy with their performance we would then add little overdubs, just like we used to do in the old days.
‘You can feel the musicians playing live like a band rather than everyone being recorded separately and then time corrected and tuned bit by bit. I absolutely love this record and If this were to be the last record I ever make then I would be pleased to leave this as my legacy.’
Over the years Tony has collaborated with a long list of musicians including Richard Hawley and Jarvis Cocker who come from his native Sheffield. But Christie’s real name is Anthony Fitzgerald and his family come from Mayo so he has huge ties and affection to Ireland.
He’s firm friends with Eurovision winner Johnny Logan and has even sung alongside Imelda May and dance queen Roisin Murphy
At his Irish shows there will be some tasters of the new record and all the hits that fans of Tony’s know and love. Tickets are available from corkoperahouse.ie, thehelix.ie and ulsterhall.co.uk